On January 3, 1916, at the height of the First World War, Métis sixteen-year-old Lawrence Young voluntarily enlisted in the Canadian military. Not yet officially old enough to serve, Lawrence recorded he was older than his actual age on his military enlistment papers, joining the 94th Overseas Battalion in Kenora. Seven months later, Lawerence departed for England to receive training. After arriving in Europe, Lawrence was soon transferred to the 17th Reserve Battalion in Ken

Lawrence Young was born into a large Métis family on February 15, 1899, at Lac Seul in Northwestern Ontario. Lawrence, along with his five sisters and five brothers, was the son of Ellen Young (nee Thompson), a Métis woman also born in Lac Seul.  Lawrence shared a particularly close bond with his older brother, James. From ages twelve to seventeen, Lawrence lived with James and other extended family. The 1911 census reveals that much of the Young family resided next door to o

The Supreme Court of Canada’s unanimous decision in R. v. Powley on September 19, 2003 affirmed that members of the historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community have a constitutionally protected right to harvest and laid a foundation for further Métis rights recognition across the Métis Homeland from the Upper Great Lakes to the Rocky Mountains. Days after the Supreme Court’s Powley ruling, after having “took time to understand the court ruling and its implications”, Manitoba

The Métis Nation’s collective victory in R. v. Powley  on September 19, 2003 was not only a watershed moment in affirming the distinct...

September 19 is Powley Day, the anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada’s unanimous ruling in R. v. Powley on September 19, 2003....

On September 12, 1875, the Northwestern Ontario Métis Community secured a place in Canada’s treaty history with the signing of the...